Harry's own Chicken Soup for the Soul
by Andrea Vi
Summary: Luna helps Harry with his internal turmoil. Very sweet!


Harry and Luna Chapter 1:  
  
"Are you sure you don't want to go, Harry?", asked Hermione.  
"Yeah mate, you'll be bloody bored if you stay in the castle.", said Ron.  
Both had a very worried look on their faces, looking at the boy in front of them.  
The boy sighed. "No, I'll be fine, you go on. I really don't feel very well."  
"All right then, Harry. If that's what you want. We'll bring you something from Hogsmeade.", Hermione said. Harry simply smiled.  
Hermione got up and said, "Let's go, Ron". Ron cast another worried look at Harry, then got up as well. He put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "You rest, Harry."  
"Don't worry, I will.", said Harry. He wished that they would leave already, he really wanted to be alone.  
"Bye, then.", Ron said, and he and Hermione climbed out of the common room.  
It was a Hogsmeade weekend,, and third year and above had left. Harry, however, did not want to go, so he told Ron and Hermione. They looked at him with the look they always gave him now, worried and sad at the same time. Harry knew it was because they cared about him but it irritated him all the same.  
Since no one was in the common room, he decided to leave and walk around. He climbed out through the Fat Lady's portrait. The corridors were deserted, except for a small group of second years who all looked at him nervously and hurried away.  
That was the real reason why he didn't want to go to Hogsmead. He was tired of everyone looking at him as though he was mad, and gawping at his scar or whispering amongst themselves when he passed. He needed a bit of solitude.  
Harry stopped and thought of where to go. The library was his first choice, he could read some books of jinxes there, but as it was a very nice day, he went outside.  
The sunshine blinded him for a moment. He blinked, getting used to the light. It was a beautiful day, sunny and with a light breeze. The trees of the Forbidden Forest were swaying their branches, and it was peacefully quiet.  
Harry looked at Hagrid's cabin. Was he home? It didn't look like it, the curtains were shut. With another sigh Harry looked around for somewhere to sit. He saw a tree with big branches and lots of shade to keep him out of the sun. He headed towards it, sat down on the grass, and leaned back.  
Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the quietness and tranquility of it all. He rarely had any days like this ojne, never had any time for himself. Sixth year was pretty hectic. And even if it weren't, Ron and Hermione were always with him. They didn't like to leave him alone.  
Something screeched, and Harry opened his eyes with a jerk. It was a small black crow, calling to his companions who were in flight. Harry watched it for a while, playing with a blade of grass. Then his eyes flicked to a tree. The Whomping Willow.  
He suddenly felt a hard lump rise up to his through. Harry was puzzled. Why would a tree make him feel this way? Then he remembered. The tree reminded him of his third year, when Sirius was supposedly a murderer after Harry. But at the end of that year, Sirius, transformed as a dog, had taken Ron below the Whomping Willow into the Shrieking Shack. Harry and Hermione had followed, and there Harry had learned that it hadn't been Sirius who had betrayed his parents, but Peter Pettigrew. Sirius was his godfather.  
Harry and Hermione had saved Sirius from the dementors by going back in time, releasing the hippogriff, Buckbeak, and flying on him up to the tower where Sirius had been. Sirius escaped on Buckbeak.  
Ever since then, Harry had had someone to really count on, to look up to, a father figure, and a great friend. Sirius had always been there for him. He loved Sirius.  
But last year.Harry furiously wiped tears away from his face. Sirius was gone, and gone because of him! If he hadn't gone to the Ministry, if he had only listened to Hermione.that's all he could ever think about these days.  
His guilt grew more and more everyday, and he felt terrible alone bacause neither Ron nor Hermione could understand exactly what he was feeling, and neither could they help him. His parents dead because of him, Sirius dead because of him and now this prophecy that said he was the only one who could defeat Voldemort. The lives of millions of people depended on him! It all became too much, too many things to bear, to worry about, one big dark mass.  
"Hello", said a soft voice.  
Harry jumped and looked up at the sound of the voice, and saw a girl. She had long grey-blonde hair which cascaded down to her waist, and slightly protuding big blue eyes, giving her a somewhat surprised look. She was smiling faintly down at Harry.  
"Hello", she said again, "am I interrupting somthing?"  
Harry looked down again, feeling very irritated. He wanted to be alone! That was the whole point of not going to Hogsmeade. However, he was too polite to tell her to go away. "Er, no, not really."  
"Do you mind if I sit down, then?"  
"Um, no, go ahead, Luna."  
That was her name. Luna Lovegood. She was a Ravenclaw fifth year, and considered a bit odd by many. Some even called her Loony Lovegood. But Harry knew she wasn't that dreamy and far-away looking, since she had helped fight last year against the Death Eaters, in the Department of Mysteries.  
"So, why aren't you at Hogsmeade?", she asked, sitting down and hugging her knees to her chest.  
Harry didn't reply.  
She looked sideways at him. "Guess you didn't feel like going anywhere. No.of course you didn't."  
That all-knowing tone really got under his skin. "And what would you know about that?", he asked her, in an angry whisper.  
"Let me remind you that my mother died when I was 9, so I have a good idea of what you are feeling right now"  
Harry winced. Now he remembered. "Sorry", he mumbled, reddening.  
"That's all right", Luna replied, "I just thought you would remember."  
His anger flared up again. It was really hard to control recently. "Well, I'm sorry, but I've had a LOT on my mind! You know, like my godfather dying and all! So forgive me if I don't remember everything everyone's said to me!"  
"Harry-"  
"No! You know what? I'm sick of it! Everyone expects so much of me! What about me? What about the things I go through?"  
"Calm down", she said, quite calmly herself. "There's no point in yelling."  
Harry shot her a very nasty look, but said nothing. He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Luna just smiled at him with that far-away look of hers.  
"Why didn't you go to Hogsmeade?", he snapped at her.  
"Just like you, I have my good days and my bad days. I like a bit of privacy too." A shadow of something like sadness crossed her face, but was gone instantly.  
"So why'd you come and talk to me?"  
"Sometimes too much privacy is a bit depressing."  
A silence fell between them. Harry watched an ant scurry up a blade of grass, thinking. Did Luna feel alone? He felt bad for her, he knew how that was like.  
Luna stretched her legs out, staring into open space. She seemed to be in deep though about something.  
Harry felt awful now. He'd yelled at her without having a reason to do so, and she hadn't even gotten offended. He'd treated her badly when all she wanted to do was talk to him. He was being pretty nasty to everyone these days. The realization of that made him cringe.  
"Don't feel bad", Luna said suddenly as if she had read Harry's thoughts. "I acted just like you when my mum died. I don't blame you for anything."  
Harry closed his eyes once more, and all of a sudden he felt the urge to tell Luna everything, which was odd, as he had barely told Ron and Hermione. But nevertheless he began. 


End file.
